~/lynn/life-story.txt last edited Oct 2026

A life in sidequests.

The CV says what I did. This file says how I got here, and what I picked up along the way.

✦ 8 chapters written currently: lifemaxxing

How I got here.

greyed chapters haven't happened yet
  1. 2024

    New city, new degree

    Started a Bachelor of Business Analytics at Deakin on the Deakin International Student Merit Scholarship, and took on Finance Officer at the Melbourne Overseas Vietnamese Student Association.

    ongoing

    Keep the books

  2. Nov 2024

    Crochet small biz era

    Became the voice of The Muse Crochet in Instagram DMs and comments, and ran Instagram and Facebook campaigns with A/B-style content tests.

    +25% engagement+20% foot traffic
    complete

    Run a shop on real data

  3. Mar 2025

    Learned to read a shop floor

    Sales Consultant at Kim Beauty Warehouse: 100+ customers a day, and 100+ SKUs of visual merchandising to keep looking good.

    +15% repeat purchases+17% impulse sales
  4. Aug 2025

    Herded an event

    Digital Marketing Intern at SW Education, keeping the events, partnerships and design teams on one timeline for Elite TALKS 2025.

    100+ registrations+21% engagement
    ongoing

    Crew the campus

  5. Late 2025

    Picked the human side

    After trying every role I could get my hands on, I noticed a pattern. I can handle the data, but I would rather use it as evidence than make it the whole job. What pulls me in is the human side: working with clients, building relationships that last, and helping people solve their problems. So I pivoted to SDR and BDR work.

    data as evidencepeople as the job
  6. Mar 2026

    Said yes to cold outreach

    Joined Codrops as Partnership Associate and built a sponsorship pipeline from scratch: 60 leads a week from YC, Product Hunt and LinkedIn, personalised sequences, and a CRM spreadsheet for every stage.

    17 signed sponsors~$9k signed20% response rate
    ongoing

    Say yes to cold outreach

  7. Mar to Sep 2026

    Five events in seven months

    A certification, L'Oréal Brainstorm and three hackathons, back to back.

    UX Design CertificationGoogle and Coursera, Mar 2026
    L'Oréal Brainstorm 2026May 2026
    Watt The HackMLAI x Monash DeepNeuron, Jun 2026SolarCycle
    AI Agentic Hackathon, Founder's TrackGenFund AI, Jul 2026
    Forward AI in Business HackathonDSCubed x RAID x Eleno, Sep 2026Trustlane
    levelling up

    One new tool a quarter

  8. Jun 2026

    Joined a YC startup

    BDR intern at Sidekick (YC S26), an AI automation start-up: prospecting manufacturing, auto dealership and retail, and handing qualified meetings to the AEs.

    ongoing

    Mentor first-years

  9. 2026, expected

    Graduation day

    Bachelor of Business Analytics, sitting at 83/100 so far. Still being written.

    in progress

    Finish with the HD intact

  10. next

    [next chapter]

    Unwritten. Could have your team in it.

Character sheet.

stats from the CV, no grinding required

base stats

class
Business analyst
base
Melbourne
guild
Deakin University
grade
83/100 High Distinction
buff
Deakin International Student Merit Scholarship

inventory

SalesforceHubSpotLinkedIn Sales NavigatorFigmaJiraCanvaOraclePython
  • B&L Peer Mentoracademic support for fellow students
  • Finance Officer, MOVSAchapter finances, Vietnamese student community
  • DUSA CrewDeakin University Student Association

The sidequest log.

drag the stickers around, they don't mind
complete

Run a shop on real data

Crochet posts picked by A/B tests, not vibes. +25% engagement.

ongoing

Say yes to cold outreach

50+ live leads later, rejection stopped stinging.

ongoing

Mentor first-years

B&L Peer Mentor. Explaining it is how I learn it twice.

ongoing

Keep the books

Finance Officer at MOVSA. Small budgets, real consequences.

ongoing

Crew the campus

DUSA Crew. Events on time, people in the right room.

levelling up

One new tool a quarter

BigQuery, then DAX, then whatever the next role needs.

in progress

Finish with the HD intact

83/100 and a merit scholarship. Final stretch.

ongoing

Pay my own way

Financially independent since I landed in Australia. Restaurants, markets, retail and a theatre bar paid the bills alongside study.

ongoing

Learn from every shift

Colleagues and customers taught me how to talk to people, value their time and own my part. That's where the resilience came from.

ongoing

Leave the comfort zone

Theory and grades are a compass. Growing up came from pushing past my limits, staying patient and saying yes to new rooms.

unlocked

Show up on LinkedIn

The day I built my LinkedIn properly, I saw the potential. Doors open once you show what you can do.

The next chapter could have your team in it.

tlinhle05@gmail.com

0449 921 128